It felt like every person who has ever lived on Milwaukee’s east side was at MJ Lenderman’s Summerfest show on Thursday night. Your downstairs neighbor, your USPS driver and the barista at your favorite coffee spot were all an arm’s length away, united by the somber twang of the Asheville singer-songwriter’s lonesome, lovelorn tales of losers.

A few hours before the headline event, Chicago indie rockers Friko took the stage for their Summerfest debut. They released their debut album Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here last year to critical buzz, channeling 2000s chamber pop and post-punk revival into a frenetic, wiry hiss. Their live show took the most exciting elements of their studio recordings and amplified them for a feverish sound, blazing through album highlights and a healthy helping of unreleased songs. Jangly closer “Get Numb to It!” ended the proceedings on a gloriously high note.

Lenderman’s last gig in Milwaukee was a sold-out appearance at Turner Hall Ballroom in October. It feels like it’s been eons since then, as his most recent album Manning Fireworks has gone on to achieve cult classic status in the ten months since its release. During his Thursday night slot, even the slow burns were hits – constructed from rootsy idioms and folkloric recollections of small-town deadbeats. Sure, maybe some attendees came for heavy hitters like “She’s Leaving You” and “Wristwatch”, but they surely stayed for the seedy melodrama of “Catholic Priest” and “Knockin'”.

It may have been Milwaukee’s biggest hipster event of the summer (possibly second to the Riverwest 24), but for good reason – Lenderman finds himself as the hesitant heir to the indie rock throne right now, and his live show feels like a hopeful glimpse into the universe that he builds with each new project. Nothing unites the people like the wallowing sounds of a pedal steel.